Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Switzerland instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 81.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Jamaica, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.
live 12.8 years longer
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 67.9% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
see 12.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Switzerland spends $10,602 as of 2023.
have 9.7 times more doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Switzerland has 44.8 as of 2022.
have 16.2% more access to essential health services
Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Switzerland scores 86 as of 2021.
be 8.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Switzerland, it is 14.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 14.3 times more money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Switzerland, the GDP per capita is $114,769 as of 2025.
be 48.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Switzerland, that number is 4.9% as of 2025.
be 2.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Jamaica, 7.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Switzerland, however, that number is 15.8% as of 2021.
Life
be 96.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Switzerland, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 79.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Switzerland, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
have 24.0% fewer children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Switzerland, there are 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.8% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Switzerland spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 53.8% more on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 11.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 98.8% less likely to be murdered
Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 86.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Switzerland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.9 times more home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Switzerland has 47.0 as of 2024.
live with 47.5% less strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Switzerland withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 5.9 times more electricity
Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 54.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Switzerland, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.0% more CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Jamaica vs. Switzerland
Switzerland: At a glance
How big is Switzerland compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.